21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Justin
My mind was racing as I flopped onto Clay’s body. His hands gently caressed my back as I caught my breath. He kissed my neck, shoulder, and temple on the right side before I raised my head to gaze at him.
“Sorry. Let me get something to clean you up. I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” I slid from him and pushed myself up as he smiled at me with love in his eyes. How lucky was I?
After wetting a washcloth and grabbing a dry towel, I returned to the bed, climbing up to wipe him down. I even made him lift his legs so I could clean my cum from his ass, and he laughed. “Like taking care of a baby?”
“My baby,” I joked before I gave him a quick kiss. I hopped out of bed and went back to the bathroom to clean myself up. I let the water out of the tub from our quick soak and hung the towels over the side of the tub to dry.
I walked back into the bedroom and smiled, seeing him yawn. “You want some water or anything?”
Clay slapped the mattress next to him. “You. Here. Now.”
I flipped off the bathroom light and climbed into bed next to him. I coaxed his head onto my chest as he pulled up the top sheet and relaxed into me. “I love you, Justin.”
My smile could have lit up the night sky. “I love you, too. Thank you for your beautiful gift to me, sweetheart. I’ll never forget it.”
Clay sat up. “You damn well better not. You’re mine.” He kissed my lips before settling back into my body. It seemed like it took less than a minute for his breathing to even out.
Feeling his warm breath on my chest put me at ease.
Clay was a continuous surprise to me. He didn’t hide his feelings, even though I knew he’d been gutted when he lost his fiancé.
For him to so freely declare his love for me wasn’t anything I expected.
I would cherish him and the memory of my first time for the rest of my life.
The next morning, Clay took me on the ATV for a more detailed tour around the farm. He showed me the sorghum fields, which were beautiful, and the empty fields where crops had already been harvested. It was all amazing.
I dropped him at the machine shed where he was going to get the combine harvester to take to the sorghum field. Then, I drove back to his house to make Clay’s apple pie.
As I was peeling the fruit, there was a knock at the back door. I grabbed a dishtowel and went out to the mudroom to see Pansy standing at the door wearing a straw sun hat and a jumpsuit. She was carrying a basket of vegetables and a loaf of bread.
“Hi, Miss Pansy. You should just come inside like you do when I’m not here. This used to be your home.” I held the door open for her to come inside just as the buzzer sounded in the kitchen where I’d been sautéing apples with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla paste.
“Oh, my goodness, it smells fantastic in here. Where’s my son gone off to now?”
I went to the stove to stir the apples. “I dropped him at the machine shed so he could get the combine. He’s going to start the sorghum harvest. Is there anything I can do to offer him assistance?”
“Well, when Nathan used to harvest, I’d make us a picnic and go meet him in the field to make sure he took a break. They are similar in that they get caught up in the task and forget about eating."
I used a fork to taste a slice of apple, happy that it tasted exactly as I wanted—still crisp with a hint of vanilla to tame the tartness of the Granny Smith apples. I grabbed a clean fork and offered it to Pansy. “What do they need?”
Pansy dipped into the pan and grabbed a chunk, blowing on it twice before she popped it into her mouth. After she chewed, she smiled. “Delicious. Maybe a pinch of salt, otherwise, they’re perfect. Did you buy crust at the store?”
I walked to the fridge and pulled out the dough I’d made that morning while I made Clay’s breakfast. We made love again when he woke up, and I was riding a high afterward.
I made him a vegetable omelet and cinnamon toast. He actually dipped me with a passionate kiss as we cleaned the kitchen. It was absolutely dreamlike.
“I made my crust this morning. Problem is, Clay has no pie pans. I was thinking about making an apple tarte on a baking sheet. Or I could make hand pies. That might be easier for Clay on a tractor, right?”
Pansy took the plastic wrap off the dough and pinched off a piece, popping it into her mouth. After a minute, she smiled. “Oh, that’s delicious. What’s that spice?”
“Allspice. My mother used to add it to her apple pie crust.”
Pansy smiled. “Oh, that’s genius. I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve added shredded cheddar cheese to my apple pie crusts before. I like to keep people surprised.”
“Good strategy. So, how are your sales going at the gallery in KC?”
“Oh, you know about that? Well, of course you do. They’re going fine, I guess. I mean, I wasn’t keen on selling the pieces at all, but as you know from our tour of the studio, I have a lot of pottery out there.”
I felt guilty because I hadn’t gone to the gallery to check out her pottery, but everything was happening so fast. I had no idea that after a few weeks of meeting Clay Fines, I’d be head over heels in love with the man and entertaining his mother in his home.
“Can you tell me about Clay’s father?” Why I asked I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to know. Clay was such a great man, so his father had to have been the same.
Pansy giggled. “Nate was an amazing man. He and I met at a wedding, of all places. We dated for a short time, and then Nate proposed. It was a whirlwind, but I don’t think I’d have done it any other way.”
The beautiful woman was glowing as she talked about her engagement to Clay’s father. “So, you settled into life on the farm?”
“It wasn’t easy at first. I was an artist at heart, but with Nate as my partner, we worked it out. Before Clay came along, Nathan would take me with him so I could learn about the farm, and those were some of the best days we spent together.”
The way she described their life sounded wonderful to me. Could I have a life like that? Did I want a life like that?
I drove the ATV out to the sorghum field with Pansy’s picnic basket next to me. She and I had a nice visit—she loved my crust—and she gave me some ideas about things Clay would like for meals and treats.
When I saw that massive piece of machinery being followed by a wagon coming through the field toward where I stopped in an already cut section, my heart skipped a beat. Clay was singing something and I could see he was in his happy place. It was cute to see his bright smile.
The massive piece of mechanical engineering ambled toward me. Clay waved and slowed down. The glowing smile on his face took my breath as I watched him. When he stopped, I pulled the ATV closer and killed the engine. I grabbed the basket and walked up to the large combine harvester.
Clay opened the door and stepped down the ladder. “Hey, darlin’. I’m damn sure happy to see you. What have you got there?” He pointed to the basket in my hand.
I smiled. “I made us lunch. Pansy gave me some insight into what you might like, so I put together a basket. Where would you like to eat?”
Clay pulled me closer and gave me a sweet kiss. “The cab of that thing is airconditioned if you wanna climb up.”
He grabbed the basket and climbed the ladder before he extended his hand to me. I’d never seen such a large piece of equipment in my life, but as I traversed the ladder, I was excited to see inside the cab.
Once I was in, Clay pulled down a seat to the right of the steering wheel before returning to his spot behind the controls. “So, what’s in the basket?” He lifted a lever and the steering wheel moved out of his way.
I opened the wicker lid and unloaded the food I’d packed with Pansy’s guidance. “So, these are meatloaf sandwiches and potato pancakes. There are apple hand pies for dessert, and two bottles of water."
Clay stared at me. “You didn’t have to do this, darlin’. I could have come to the house for lunch.”
“Yes, you could have, but I wanted to see how this worked. I mean, I can go back to the—”
“No! Stay. I like the idea of you seeing what happens here at the farm. It’s pretty boring but having you here makes it more fun for me.”
While we ate, he explained the harvesting process, which was very interesting. The wagon was attached to the harvester to load the sorghum so it could be taken to a drying barn where it would be picked up at a later date by the purchasing company to make into silage for livestock.
“It’s glamorous, isn’t it?” Clay hummed as he ate a potato pancake, signaling to me that he liked them.
“Well, it’s necessary, right? I mean, this all turns into feed for animals, right? That’s pretty necessary. Farm to table all the way, right?” It was a lot to process, but I was sure the longer I was around, the more I’d understand.
“Justin, this food is delicious.” He leaned over and blew a raspberry on my neck, making me laugh with a mouthful of meatloaf and bread.
Once I swallowed, I took a sip from my water. “Your mom stopped by with the fresh bread. She said she’d teach me how to make it the next time I come out.”
Clay grinned. “She loves to bake bread. She hasn’t made it for a while, so I guess she figured with you staying with me, it wouldn’t go to waste.” He crumpled up the wax sandwich bags and tossed them into the picnic basket.
I finished my food and tossed my bags into the basket before retrieving the plastic container that held the two hand pies I’d brought for him. “And these are for you.” I opened the container to show him its contents, and he gave me a big grin.
“Well, now. These look great. I’ll eat one now and save the other one for later when I’m feelin’ a little peckish.” He turned on that accent when he was trying to seduce me. He certainly didn’t have to try too damn hard.
“How’s your butt?” I chuckled a little as I asked.
Clay smirked. “Oh, darlin’ you were definitely there.
” He then wiggled in his seat as he took a bite of the apple-filled crust, moaning the filthiest sound that reminded me of that morning when I fucked him from behind and hit his prostate without mercy.
The man spewed everywhere, necessitating a change of sheets.
“Ho-ly fuck! That’s delicious. Oh, this is my favorite thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.” He spoke with his mouth full, crumbs spraying in the space between us and making me laugh.
I picked up my napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth. “You bring the apples and I’ll make you a pie every time I see you.”
I kissed his cheek and booped the tip of his nose. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can finish up. What time do you want dinner?”
It was so damn domesticated that we were talking about simple things like dinnertime. Was this a sneak-peek into what my life could be like if Clay and I could make a life together?
“I’m gonna stop for the day at five. I just need to take the trailer to the drying barn and spread the sorghum. I’ll pick up the rest of the job in the morning as soon as the dew burns off. Maybe have dinner ready around seven? That okay?”
“Works for me. I’ll see you then.” We gathered all the remnants from our picnic, and Clay carried the basket down the ladder for me.
He took my hand and walked me to the ATV. “Be careful going back. Feel free to come visit anytime you want, Justin. I love ya, darlin’.” He leaned forward and kissed me gently before he swatted my ass as I got into the vehicle.
If things like taking lunch to the field or soaking in the tub with Clay Fines were things I had to look forward to in the future, I needed to make some decisions regarding what it would take to see it through.
But before I started daydreaming about making love in all the rooms of Clay’s house, I needed to take care of a task that was long overdue.
Maybe it was just because I’d fallen in love, but in my heart, I was sure Ramon Blanco was worth redeeming. I’d do everything I could to make it happen.